Friday, May 3, 2013

ANCA Desk: Combatting the Gulen Movement in Lancaster

This week, I would like to highlight the efforts of a dear
friend to the Armenian cause, Rev. Susan Minasian, the interfaith
chaplain of the Franklin & Marshall College who was instrumental in
fighting a proposal to open a Gulen charter school in Lancaster, Pa.

Minasian

Gulen schools were first introduced and are currently run by the
Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship Charter School (ABECS), a group
that follows the teachings of Turkish Islamist Fethullah Gulen, also
known as the Gulen movement. The Gulen movement is a form of Turkish
propaganda that has implemented its policies across the United States.
Gulen, who has been self-exiled in the Poconos region since 1998, is the
ideological head of the movement.
The first Gulen school opened in 1999. U.S. officials were made aware
of the movement’s involvement in charter schools in 2006, when they
noticed a large number of Turkish men seeking visas to work at the
schools. Board members of the Gulen charter schools are primarily
Turkish, and the schools’ curriculum focuses on math, science, and
technology, and largely ignores or neglects world history and current
events.
The schools have been criticized for importing teachers and for not
providing a comprehensive view of history, which includes education on
the Armenian Genocide and Armenian history in general.
Unfortunately, ABECS has been successful in establishing
Turkish-themed charter schools in many of the states, and public money
received from those schools is used to open more charters that push the
Gulen agenda. As of last year, 135 schools are reportedly in operation
within 26 states.
When the proposal to build the school in Lancaster was made, Minasian
challenged the values of the charter school by speaking out to the
local Lancaster media and making statements at all of the hearings held
earlier this year.
She noted that the opposition to the charter school was not about
ethnic bias, but about serious concerns regarding those who deny
genocide and waste taxpayer dollars to incorrectly shape young minds.
“Just as we would not want Holocaust deniers leading our schools, we
would not want genocide deniers shaping or leading our educational
institutions,” she said at one meeting.
“It doesn’t matter where you live, you can be an advocate for
justice,” she told me. “One voice can teach many people. I don’t worry
that there are only 15 other Armenians around me in Lancaster, and I
don’t use that as an excuse in my spiritual journey toward justice.”
The School District of Lancaster ultimately rejected the proposal
last month. The 8-0 vote, with 1 abstention, ended the months-long
debate over the merits of the school, which would have opened this fall.
In addition, several letters of support from legislators have been
rescinded, in most cases because they were signed by low-level staff and
executives who didn’t know they were officially backing the ABECS
proposal.
Minasian is extremely humble and insisted she didn’t do this on her
own. She emphasized the importance of her network in Lancaster, who
defended justice by calling out the charter school’s curriculum. She
credits fellow Lancaster residents and colleagues for taking a stand
against the ABECS proposal. Minasian works consistently to find allies
who care about Armenian Genocide recognition.
Her story is inspiring not because it’s unusual, but because she is so motivated to create change even with just one voice.
People like Minasian who stand up for what’s right embody what
grassroots activism is all about. I believe Minasian’s attitude is one
we should seek to duplicate all over the ANCA Eastern Region On behalf
of the ANCA-ER and Armenians everywhere, I want to thank her for being
entrenched in a lengthy battle to fight the Gulen movement from taking
root in Lancaster.
With more positive outcomes like this, the sky’s the limit on what we
can collectively or individually achieve. Each victory is a victory for
all Armenians.

No comments:

Post a Comment

About Me

Join Rafi Topalian as he discusses the past, present and future Armenian news, stories and related issues that effect not only the Armenian Community in the Capital District but non-Armenian readers alike.